Journal 9 - Emotional to Rational

I was recently in a very emotional situation and the resulting action was through a logical approach. Driving to swim practice in Petersburg after school yesterday I almost ended a life. I was on an old one lane country lane with my sister and Hannah Jackson in my car, just minding my own business. I was going relatively slow, about 45 mph, going down a hill in case a car was on the other side. As I was approaching the bottom, I point out a dog about 100 meters away on the right side of the road. As I did that, I was applying the brake and slowing down. Then all of the sudden my sister yells, "DOG!!!" and I slam on the brakes. The dog had ran in front of my car. I hit the brakes in time and did not kill the dog. I did bump it though. The dog did not fall down, and walked away in the direction it came. It walked slowly, but did not seem to have any injuries. That was the first time that I have even come close to hitting something. Not only was I upset, but Hannah and Olivia were freaking out. I finally convinced myself and them that the dog was fine, and that he would be fine and a little child will not have his childhood crushed as he lost his best friend. The logical side of me took over and banished the emotional and very slightly hysterical side away deep inside my brain. That was the first time that I had come close to running something over. It was very scarring, but I still had another 10 miles to drive before I reached PORTA and knew that I had to pull it together. I rationalized that as I had not only my sister's life in my hands, but I was also responsible for Hannah's life. I had to continue driving onward, although I drove extremely slow and cautious the rest of the way.